The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-03-19
OLD GRIDLEY'S GHOST.
Did It Cause the Loss of the "Oro
FinoP"

"Why, Durham, what's the matter?
How your hand trembles! Are you
sick?"
''No; not exactly
"What ails you them Speak out,
man. Have you been seeing a ghost?"
"To tell the truth, Maggie, l do feel
= little nervous this morning. haven't
made trip these twenty years that 1
dreaded like this"
''Seen Old Gridlcy againP"
'Yes."
''Pshaw! l thought that was it.
Haven't you seen him a dozen times
before and nothing came of it?"
''Ihis time he had his sextant"
All this was at the breakfast-table.
Durham was mate of the Orc Elmo,
making tri-monthly trips between Port
land and San Francisco. He had sailed
thirty years, been round the world
twice, been captain about six years, but
lost his ship and couldn't get another,
and so was glad to be first mate of the
Orc Fino.
Durham had Il habit of seeing ghosts,
or, rather, ghost, for he never saw
but one; that was old Gridley. Gridley
was mate on the vessel on which Dun
ham made his first trip as a ship-boy.
That trip was Dunham's first, but
Gridley's last. Gridley had a passion
for beating ships boys with a ropes
end; he died in the act of beating Dun
ham with n ropes end. Gridley was
taking an observation with the sextant,
and, as the boy was passing him with
a bucket and swab, a sudden lurch of
the ship threw him against the mate.
Gridley seized a ropes end, and was
belaboring the boy soundly when a
boom, providentially left loose, struck
him and knocked him overheard. Ever
since that, on numerous occasions,
Durham had seen Gridley's ghost
usually with q ropes end, but some
times with sextant He had never
been able to see any particular fatality
portended by the vision with the rope S
end He had seen it a dozen times;
and, on some occasions, his best luck
had seemed to follow the apparition.
Not so when the ghost with the sextant
appeared. He had seen this only twice
--once, the night before he fell from
the foretop and broke his leg; the other
time, the night before his ship was cast
away.
Last night was the third time. He
had walked up and found himself lying
on his back. The room was perfectly
dark; it was also perfectly still. Dun
ham could see nothing and could heal
nothing. Nevertheless, he felt thai
something or somebody was in thu
room that ought to be out of it. HI
also felt draught of cold air. Dun
ham was no sickler for ventilated
apartments, and had carefully CLOSED
and locked the windows before retiring
The air could not come from the win
dows; neither could it come from tn,
bedroom door, for that opened int
thu sitting-room just opposite to win
dNA and if the door had been open h
--i have seen the window. Despit
his natural courage, Durham wa
frightened. He raised himself on hi
elbow very cautiously. He locke,
about the room; he could see absolute
Iy nothing. He reached over to wher
Maggie, his wife, slept-she wa
there. He moistened his fin
ger in his mouth and held it NJ
He could then sensibly feel the draft @
air coming from the foot of his bed
He gotup and struck light Lookin
over his shoulder as he did so, he saw
OF the foot of his bed, Old Gridley. ]
would do no good to shout aloud-hi
wife would only laugh at him. He ha
often walked her up to look at the ghost
but she professed never to see it.
would do no good to 60 up to the nj
partition and try to seize 1.-THE ha